Buffalo Bills News - December 19, 2000

GM John Butler Fired! [5:07 PM]Shout! reports:
'Owner Ralph Wilson was stunned over the whole thing. He was particularly disturbed that Butler seemingly did not want to stay with the Bills. Wilson said since July he talked to Butler six times about renewing his contract, but Butler was non-committal each time - as if he had some place to go already, or he wanted to be somewhere other than Buffalo all along.'

Bills send Butler packing [5:04 PM]AP reports:
"I said, generally speaking, 'John, if you can't give me an answer that you're going to be the general manager of the Bills, now, not in the future, not after the last game, then I'm going to have to look elsewhere,' " Wilson said he told Butler. "He was just nonchalant about it and left."

Bills fire Butler [5:03 PM]D and C reports:
'The Buffalo Bills on Tuesday fired general manager and executive vice president John Butler. "John Butler has been dismissed of his duties as executive vice president and general manager of the club effective immediately," team owner Ralph Wilson said in a prepared statement delivered at Bills headquarters.'

Wade froze up on timeout before kick [9:10 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'When it's snowing hard and the other guys are preparing to kick, it doesn't make sense to give them an extra 30 seconds to clear a spot for the kicker and his holder.'

Flutie, not Johnson, likely to start finale [7:30 AM]D and C reports:
'In what may be considered a mercy move by many Bills fans, Bills coach Wade Phillips said yesterday that quarterback Rob Johnson will probably sit out the season finale Saturday in Seattle.'

Johnson needs to help himself [7:29 AM]D and C reports:
'It boils down to this: If the Bills' deep thinkers still believe that Rob Johnson is their quarterback of the future, then there can be no future in Buffalo for Joe Pendry and Carl Mauck.'

Patriots fans flock to Flutie [7:27 AM]Boston Globe reports:
'The storytelling wasn't restricted to the game. CBS cameras caught some guy on one knee dropping his engagement ring while proposing. A cheerleader was led away by security guards, and while no one has gotten to the bottom of that story yet, it made for interesting viewing.'

Pats' problems snowball [7:27 AM]Boston Herald reports:
'The coaches deserve credit for keeping the team focused through the obstacles they faced because of the weather. Even beyond that, however, the game plan on both offense and defense was modified dramatically and effectively as the conditions deteriorated during the day.'

Not so special teams [8:30 PM]Fox Sports reports:
'Phillips committed a mistake a year ago when he made a change. He commits a mistake this year if he doesn't make one again.'

Phillips' Excuses Don't Add Up [2:22 PM]Buffalo Post reports:
'Instead of addressing why the same group of linemen who have operated under the same assistant coach within the same offensive coordinator's system for three years can't peform the most basic functions of their jobs, Phillips took the easy route.'

Vinatieri able to weather Bills' storm [2:04 PM]Olean Times Herald reports:
'Sunday's weather was awful, even by Western New York standards. The air was filled with a strange snow-sleet-ice combination that blanketed the field by halftime and made the artificial turf slippery.'

Bills Should Consider Giving Roth A Serious Opportunity [2:03 PM]Jamestown Post Journal reports:
'Josh Roth, the fullback from the University at Buffalo by way of Conewango Valley, sure looked like he belonged. And, in a conversation with him late last week, Roth believes he does.'

This team has earned a little respect with effort [2:01 PM]Metro West Daily News reports:
'A whole lot of it was sloppy, sloppiness that had nothing to do with the weather. And a whole lot of the players that partook in it for the Pats won't be around next year.'

For Bills, long day's journey into nightmare [9:07 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Only the most faithful fans in the crowd of 47,230 hung around windy, snowy Ralph Wilson Stadium until the bitter end, which came with 19 seconds left in overtime.'

Bills blown away in Arctic blast [9:06 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'It sure wasn't pretty. But it was weird. This was what it would be like if the NFL put a franchise in Antarctica.'

Another tale of two quarterbacks [9:05 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Quarterback Rob Johnson has been criticized by media and fans for holding on to the ball longer than he should at times. It's a knock he doesn't appreciate. He'll dislike the criticism even more now that it's coming from his coach.'

Weather produces a bitter end [9:04 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'The weather conditions were better suited for the Iditarod, but both teams strapped on their skates and played a football game Sunday afternoon as winds up to 50 mph swirled around the stadium, turning it into a living shake-up snow dome.'

Monday billboard [9:02 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'For the first time this year, the Bills failed to sell out Ralph Wilson Stadium, as 47,230 braved nasty weather and nastier football. There were more people at the McKinley Mall.'

Power outage backs up Bills game traffic [9:01 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'A power outage on Abbott Road in Lackawanna Sunday created what one police officer called a "hectic hour and a half" as traffic for the Buffalo Bills game backed up for a while.'

Ex-lineman for Buffalo wings it [8:41 AM]USA Today reports:
'Toward the end of his Bills career, Ritcher took a flight with teammates Joe Ferguson and Justin Cross in Ferguson's Cessna propeller plane. "I was just hooked from then on," he says.'

Vinatieri's FG provides icing [8:39 AM]Springfield Union News reports:
'Mother Nature managed to do what these two struggling rivals probably could not have done on their own, namely make this game a thoroughly entertaining one to watch.'

Johnson holds on the mark [8:38 AM]Springfield Union News reports:
'Johnson's day was indeed something to behold. He muffed two long snaps, including one on a potential winning field goal on the final play of regulation.'